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A Bard can only wear leather armor and is limited to using short swords, bows and other light weapons or instruments. However, unlike other weapon-based classes, Bards have the unique ability to use Song Magic, which allows them to tremendously increase their allies' combat prowess. In particular, the Bard has support songs that grant continuous buffs until cancelled and are ranked substantially above those cast by an Enchanter. On top of that, these support songs can be toggled on and off at will. There is a great variety of songs in the skill set, each of which are very powerful.

However, the Bard's own combat prowess is quite low, and few players choose this class. High-level bards can learn up to 15 songs and can activate two songs simultaneously. Since each song requires a very long casting time, having a long-term battle strategy is crucial. Therefore, this class is very challenging to master.

There are two primary builds for this class: the Concertmaster and the Prima Actor.

Concertmaster - Support Song Specialization

Supporting parties in large-scale battles, a Concertmaster uses skills such as Battle Conduct, War Conductor, Curtain Drops, and other such skills to increase his or her allies' attack ability. A Concertmaster is not expected to fight on the front lines, although they can use their auto-attack sometimes. Henrietta uses this build.

Prima Actor - Special Attack Specialization

Using attack spells like Duet, Grande Finale, and Prelude Onslaught in conjunction with movement hindrance spells like Ballad of the Gullible Snail, a Prima Actor can increase the number or strength of either their own or their allies' attacks. The main weakness of this build is that it is more effective against multiple enemies, and its effectiveness drops considerably against solo enemies. Takayama Misa uses this build.

Virtuoso - Curse Song Specialization

Focuses on aiding allies using their Curse Songs to weaken opponents. However, this build is rather unpopular due to the relatively short range of Bard attacks compared to Assassins and Swashbucklers, as well as the lower damage it deals. Enkaatanto uses this build, and Isuzu begins focusing on this build in volume 8.

[Attack Support] [Special Skill] For approximately 30 seconds, copy a designated ally's magic attack on the same target. Since equipment bonuses and character stats are not copied over, your attack will be weaker, but will still deal around 150%-180% damage, especially if you copy a Sorcerer. When used, this skill creates a guitar-riff-like sound effect and a shining appearance. The attack will be a beat behind the original.

Imbues a weapon with a melody that causes a shockwave upon impact and resonates with the target's body. If another attack lands during the resonance period, additional damage will be dealt with a resonance explosion. You have to attack twice for it to work, so the damage dealt is quite high. Bards who use percussion instruments or blunt weapons like maces and have Resonance Beat as their signature move are known as "Drummers" or "Taiko Masters."

Elegant Act

An elegant attack from a beautiful dance. The damage dealt is normal, but this skill boosts Evasion for a period of time after usage, so it's popular with front-line Bards since it improves their survivability. It is notable for the elaborate movements that vary depending on the weapon. With a sword, it's a sword dance; with a spear, the spear is twirled like a baton; with a scythe, the scythe is twirled like a pencil and is quite a sight to behold.

Battle Conduct

The damage is hardly any different from a normal attack, but gives the target a ! icon and puts them in the condition where "No matter how much it is hit, there will be no increase in hate". The icon appearance is short, around 5-15 seconds. Because of this, Bards will call their comrades when using it and all of them will use their most powerful skills in this limited time to pound the enemy into dust. When used, an attention-drawing whistle will be sounded.

On forums, this whistle is also known as "Wolf Pack", "Beatdown Order" or "It's Hunting Time," among other nicknames. It allows all the party members to participate without restraint so it is a highly popular skill. It is considered a form of manners to greet a recruited Bard with "We're counting on your whistle-blowing today too ha ha" for private parties.

Arpeggio

[Special Skill] A broken chord. A ranged attack that targets all enemies, causing musical notes to pop out from the target that is hit. However, the resonance from the target disperses and decreases in damage dealt, and combined with a long cooldown time, this makes the skill less effective than a Swashbuckler's ranged attack. At the same time, because both the cooldown time and the decrease in damage is lowered (to around 90% normal damage at level 90) at higher levels, this skill is worth training.

Dissonance Scream

[Abnormal State] By causing a jarring dissonance in a circular radius around yourself, inflicting upon enemies within that area a small amount of damage and the Confusion status. When timed well, it can also cancel out spell incantations, so it is often used around Mage-type enemies. An effect of cracked notes flying about appears, and there is a shrieking sound effect echoes.

Final Strike

[Special Skill] Hurl your weapon and deal a large amount of damage. Damage depends on the remaining durability and attack power of the weapon, and even a normally-powerless player can be strong. However, the weapon's durability will become 0, and the weapon will be useless until repaired. Furthermore, the cooldown time is long, so you can't keep reusing this skill with several weapons on hand.

Despite being a difficult skill to use, the fact that it creates a flashy effect when the weapon slices through an enemy and explodes makes it known as a "charming" skill that is rather popular. For a while, it was popular among Bards to use this skill as a finishing blow while strumming a stringed instruments.

Grand Finale

A special skill named after the curtain pull. Perform a large-damage attack that sacrifices duration for speed, because it usually follows up a normal attack. [TL: I need to revisit this sentence]Additionally, damage increases when the target is inflicted with an abnormal status. If you kill an opponent with this skill, the screen would turn darker, the camera angle would change, and three spotlights would shine on the player. In subsequent updates, the camera angle change was removed because many people said that it was "overdone" and "it made it hard to see." Bragging about this skill is forbidden because even with the strongest Bard, it's only around 60% the strength of an Assassin's or Sorcerer's attack.

Duet

[Melee Attack] A skill performed with a melee weapon and an ally. Designate a friend as the target. When the ally hits the opponent during the time frame of this skill, you can follow up with another attack at a fixed chance. This attack is set as an auto-attack and only deals moderate damage, but you can expect an increase in damage dealt because it does not require practice or an incantation.

Because it is necessary to stand in a position where a melee attack can reach the target when you activate this skill, it is most often used with a tank, but some people take the chance and use it with a Swashbuckler, who has a higher attack speed. Damage dealt and duration of this spell depend on skill level, while the probability depends on skill rank.

Curse Songs

Name

Description

Ballad of the Gullible Snail

[Movement Inhibition] [Special Attack] An offensive curse song that deals minor damage and decreases the speed of the target and other monsters around it. The damage range is surprisingly large and can trap groups of 5 or 6. However, this skill garners more Hate, and you can become targeted if you are too careless with this skill. In situations where this isn't a concern, such as Solo play or a party without a tank, you can use this to drag enemies around and wear them down with ranged attacks. It seems there are anecdotes of wearing down a high level boss with only the ballad. On use a distorted spiral effect will appear around the target.

Lullaby of the Mermaid in Moonlight

[Movement Inhibition] [Special Attack] A support curse song that puts the target enemy and those around it to Sleep. It is set so that the difference in level between the target and caster will affect how long it takes for them to fall asleep, so the effect is not instantaneous, and you might be countered if the target can see through the time it has before the effect occurs and cause a "Sleep Lock": "Attack right before effect occurs" then Sleep -> (Get hit) Wake up -> Immediate Sleep, rinse and repeat. When used, an aqua-blue ripple effect will occur and an image of a singing mermaid will appear over the head of the caster.

Träumerei[Träumerei is Robert Schumann's most famous song in his work, Kinderszenen.] of the Bear Cub's Dreams

[Movement Inhibition] [Special Attack] A support curse song that gives the target and enemies within a certain area around it a Charm effect. A target that fails to resist it will be drawn to the Bard, advancing unsteadily. Because the effect wears off upon taking damage, allies will attack all at once. While in use, this skill creates a teddy bear turning a music box above the user's head, and the target has a spinning yellow star over its head. "Keep turning the music box" is a rough way of saying "Fool" in Elder Tale.

Dirge of the Trapped Lion

[Special Attack] An attack curse song that traps enemies in a certain area and continuously deals damage. Although the damage dealt, like most curse songs, is insignificant, the damage builds up as you continue singing and the effect of an instant death is very powerful. The impact of an opponent who was fighting vigorously suddenly collapsing and dying has a very strong effect, and has given this skill the name of “Dying Song” and “Death Voices,” inspiring fear. When this skill is being used, a mark of a lion appears over the target’s head and a stinging chain wraps around them.

Cover Songs

Name

Description

Etude Sword Speed

[Attack Support] Raises the weapon attack speed and accuracy of surrounding allies. You can immediately switch cover songs if necessary as long as you have a prerequisite song prepared [TL: will revisit]. However, having two cover songs active reduces MP. When this song is in use, a red-colored note appears from the Bard's body. Additionally, a sword icon appears over the allies under this effect.

Onslaught Prelude

[Attack Support] Shorten cooldown times of your allies' skills. It is a basic song used in battle to decrease the cooldown of magic and weapon attacks. Popular skill that is known to be refreshing to hear.

Anthem of the Affectionate Mother

[Recovery Support] Increases rate of HP recovery for allies. Although the amount of HP recovered per second is far less than a Druid's "pulsation recovery" ability, it has a similar effect, and can be used in conjunction with their skills. Also, the effect lasts until the cover song is switched, while Druid skills are finite in duration. When in use, a green note appears every two minutes. It can also be used outside of battle to shorten break times.

[Hate Reduction] Reduces Hate an ally receives when attacking by 5-15%. As proficiency rises, the percentage reduced increases. It is a powerful skill, powerful enough that it would accidentally decrease a tank's ability to aggro opponents. Now, Bards can choose whom not to affect with this skill. While in use, it creates dark blue notes that appear slowly.

Venomoid Tarantella

[Recovery Support] Speeds up recovery from afflictions. Although you do not cure it immediately, you can cut down the normal time it takes to recover from them (around half). While some afflictions cannot be cured with this song, it is still an important skill for Raids. This skill becomes more effective by raising skill rank, so many seek the Secret scroll for this skill.

Rainbow Arabesque

[Attack Support] Grants your allies an attribute such as fire or ice. This way, you can compound on an enemy's weak point. There are six attributes in total (if you don't have any selected, it is the seven colors of the rainbow), and you could click on which one use. After the Catastrophe, you can select it with your mind. A note of the corresponding color appears, and the weapons have a different effect depending on the attribute.

[Recovery Support] Allies' MP, which is usually not restored during battle, recovers slowly. Although the rate is slower than when you are resting, its ability in the long run cannot be underestimated. In use, a cool-colored note (purple/blue) appears from your body.

Pavane Dance

[Defense Support] Increases the agility and evasion rate of allies. It allows Guardians, who usually don't have high evasion, to take advantage of it the way Monks do. In use, a yellow-colored note appears from the Bard's body.

[Attack Support] When the caster's ally casts magical attacks, Harmony Carol follows up with an additional attack in the form of a rainbow beam. This skill maximizes the damage potential of magical attackers.

Other Skills

Name

Description

War Conductor

[Support] Instead of increasing your ally's speed, decrease your own. You can continue to support them with your songs while they go on ahead. Because it is an auto-attack, incantations are shortened, and strength increases. It creates an effect of a person waving a baton overhead.

Curtain Drop

[Hate Reduction] Decreases the Hate of one enemy. The number isn't shown, but because the enemy switches targets quite quickly, the amount of Hate reduced must be appropriately large. You can evade attack by using it on yourself, or you can use it on an ally at a higher MP cost. This creates an effect of a curtain wrapping around the target.

Repeated Notes

[Attack Support] Immediately repeats an attack/skill on the same target. However, you will be paralyzed for a short while after activating this skill. Furthermore, this attracts quite a bit of Hate, so using it too hastily can result in a disaster.

Shifting Tact

[Support] Support skill for one ally. For a short duration (approx. 10 seconds), drastically decrease the cooldown time of the ally's skills. Acceleration is by 7% at elementary level, so the Secret-level scroll, which speeds it up by 32%, is in high demand. A metronome appears over the ally, and a "katchikatchikachikachikachi..." sound effect is heard.

Decrescendo

[Hate Reduction] Become paralyzed for a while and decrease Hate slowly. While you can dispel this effect at any time, the amount of Hate that decreases is in proportion to the duration held. Although you cannot use any other skills during this time without dispelling the effect, cover songs are still in play, so you're still contributing to the fight.

Performance

Perform on the streets or in taverns to earn money. The amount you make depends on your skill and Luck.

Bard Style

Increases your endurance.

Typical Props

Special ability that allows you to know the lore behind the songs you learn as a Bard and understand their views.